Terry Phillips Brings Home $10,000 Prize

Rain altered the start of the inaugural Summit USMTS Southern Nationals on Wednesday, pushing practice night to Thursday and making the three-day event a Friday-Saturday doubleheader.

Rain returned to the Kennedale Speedway Park on Saturday night, just in time to shorten the Summit USMTS Southern Series main event and bring an end to the 20th Anniversary USMTS season about 43 laps early.

For Terry Phillips, however, it was a welcome $10,000 shower of cash after a good year for most but far below expectations of the Springfield, Mo., veteran.

After two rounds of qualifying heat races Friday night, Fort Worth’s George White sat on the pole for Saturday’s scheduled 60-lap affair with Phillips earning the outside of the front row by virtue of their passing points earned the previous night.

Phillips beat White to the first corner and took the lead while Dereck Ramirez followed into second one lap later. Several cautions dotted the first few laps.

Meanwhile, reigning USMTS national champ and newly-crowned USMTS Southern Series champ Johnny Scott moved into the second position in just 12 laps after starting tenth.

Following a lap-17 restart, Scott snuck underneath Phillips but that was when the skies opened up and drivers were told to head to their pit area.

The rain was thick, steady and poured down in buckets. Officials were forced to call off the remainder of the race, and with this being the final event of the season the running order became official and Phillips took home the winner’s share of the prize money.

In Limited Mod action, Adam Willis of Elizabeth, La., took the lead on lap 2 and fended off Rodney Sanders for the remaining 28 laps to collect the $5,000 top prize. Dustin Robinson was third, Rowdy Day finished fourth and former USMTS racer Shane Hebert was fifth.

Justin Whitehead of Texarkana, Texas, did one better in the 30-lap Factory Stock feature race, wrestling the lead away from polesitter Ralo Pilkington after one lap and then leading the other 29 en route to a $5,000 payday. Chris Henigan, 13th-starting Rodney White, Brett McMillin and Pilkington completed the top five.

Saturday’s show closed the curtain on the 20th Anniversary season for the United States Modified Touring Series. The United States Modified Touring Series will celebrate the sponsors, crew members, drivers and their families at the annual USMTS Awards Banquet on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019, at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City, Mo.